Time to switch search providers?

[NoBanStan]

I've always been a fan of Google. I would even aspire to work at the Googleplex if it weren't for that whole California thing. But then there's this, which honestly I don't think is Google's fault, but I feel they could have probably fought a little harder for our privacy...

 

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/05/judge-rules-fbi-doesnt-need-warrant-access-google-customer-data/65787/

 

 

[LagerHead]

You think this doesn't apply to every search provider? Rights are a thing of the past brother. Just deal with the new world order. It is here.

[2.ooohhh]

Google releases data about the requests, which the EFF and other use to fight them going forward. Here are the stats from the US in the last half of 2012- 

 

 

Via "Subpoena" 5,784 requests affecting 10,390 google users

Via "Other"(likely letters of NS)758 requests affecting 1,249 google users

Via "Search Warrants" 1,896 requests affecting 3,152 google users

 

 

Transparency Report

 

 

 

You need to get MAD at your legislators for things like the patriot act that let these requests happen without judicial oversight. The releases above involving a search warrant, or subpoena don't worry me nearly as much as the "Other" batch.

[Jonnin]

google is anti-gun.  They, like comcast and some other media outlets, will NOT allow legal firearms related companies to advertise or use their services. 

 

They have a liberal bias (strange, given their motto) and present the most obscure and hateful magazines on their news page (mother jones, for example) but never have ANY links to conservative viewpoints.  

 

Conclusion: google is not our friend.   It may be required to tap as a search engine now and then as most of the other engines either rent google's results or provide poorish result or are equally evil companies, but do not ever mistake them for an ally or a neutral source of anything.

[TrickyNicky]

I was an avid google user until last year when they changed their policy about gun advertisement. Switched to Bing and in all honesty couldn't be happier.

[Mike.357]

so is MicroSoft pro gun?

[Oh Shoot]

so is MicroSoft pro gun?

 

No, but currently Bing shows firearm stuff with Shopping search and Google does not.

 

Subject to change at any time, of course.

 

- OS

[Mike.357]

hmmm I just did a search for 22 ammo and google brought up a bunch of suppliers.  I have never used the shopping thing.

[Oh Shoot]

hmmm I just did a search for 22 ammo and google brought up a bunch of suppliers.  I have never used the shopping thing.

 

Regular search still works to certain degree for guns and ammo. Narrow it down to Shopping (the most effective way to find pricing) and few to zero results.

 

They zapped it about a year ago now.

 

- OS

[Mike.357]

shows how much gun/supply searching I have done in the last year or so, LOL

 

damn Google.

 

Oh well I don't care....

[NoBanStan]

You think this doesn't apply to every search provider? Rights are a thing of the past brother. Just deal with the new world order. It is here.

 

You're completely correct. If the government wants your information, they'll get it.

 

For the record, I didn't honestly think switching to a different provider would save me my privacy :)

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Google is the worst sort of spyware, not to say that any search provider ain't some kind of spyware. I've switched over to firefox, and loaded firefox tools for scriptblockers and popup blockers and instant cookie destructors, google link-removers, etc. Also set firefox to basically always run in private mode, save nothing, destroy all caches on exit, and I exit firefox at least once per day.

 

The browser is set to never make suggestions when I type. The browser must send info to the search provider "on the fly" in order for instant suggestions to work, meaning that you have voluntarily installed keyboard WORM malware running in yer browser, so that bing or yahoo or google can look at just about every keystroke you type into the search box, if not the entire page, regardless whether you decide to go ahead with a search based on the terms.

 

My preferred search providers are DuckDuckGo, IXQuick https and Startpage https which is a relative of IXQuick. I'll occasionally select google, but as a rule google is blocked from by browser every way I know how. The web doesn't work as smooth thataway, and it is probably all fruitless effort, as I have no concrete evidence to trust firefox or IXQuick any more than google or microsoft or apple. But there comes a time when it is absolutely imperative that a stupid and futile gesture be done on somebody's part. :)

 

If I just want to watch a youtube video and don't want to hassle with blocked scripts, I'll fire up safari (which is locked down as much as I can make it) and let google spy on my Youtube session to its hearts delight. Then quit safari afterward.

[Trekbike]

I've brought this up before when the subject has come up, so here it is again. Yea, you can use a another search engine, but if a person continues to use an Android phone, what's the point of the google "boycott“?

[2.ooohhh]

No, but currently Bing shows firearm stuff with Shopping search and Google does not.

 

Subject to change at any time, of course.

 

- OS

 

The major drop off in google shopping results(for many products not just guns) was b/c of the switch to paid inclusion which IMHO was a terrible idea.

 

http://www.ecreativeim.com/blog/2012/05/google-shopping-feed-goes-paid-only/

 

 

As for them not allowing payments for firearms, ammo, and components via google checkout I have heard at a dev conference that it was mostly a legal CYA decision due to all the different jurisdictions that checkout can be used in. (google doesn't want to be 3rd party to a possibly illegal sale, as such they have also banned sales of alcohol, cigarettes, and other regulated items via checkout.)

[RED333]

Try this one.

https://anonymous-gibiru.com/

[Chucktshoes]

For a private search use this search engine: https://www.ixquick.com/

For a truly private session, use the TOR Browser. https://www.torproject.org/

[2.ooohhh]

 

 

For a truly private session, use the TOR Browser. https://www.torproject.org/

 

This x2  TOR is very good for remaining anon.

[RobertNashville]

Privacy is a myth...the only thing that makes proxy services, etc. "private" is if the government doesn't care enough to want the information.

Everything you put online, look at, search for, post, your geographic position, every phone number you call or calls you...absolutely everything must be assumed to not be private. Who the provider of the service is makes no difference.

 

You can avoid some of it but really and make other pieces of info more difficult to obtain but unless you are going to live in a cave, are absolutely 100% self sufficient and communicate only using smoke signals it's pretty impossible to actually avoid the information/tech-age we live in.

Edited June 6, 2013 by RobertNashville

[Mike.357]

I am pretty sure if one uses smoke signals other people will know where you are at.  ;)

[RobertNashville]

I am pretty sure if one uses smoke signals other people will know where you are at.   ;)

Well of course; that's why you have to keep moving around!  :)

[Guest RedLights&Sirens]

I just go directly to websites I know or y'all reccomend but really I have only ever purchased twice online. Most everything I buy is in cash in person. *sigh* They probably fingerprint my money though /sarcasm.

Not trying to brag but this here is about the extent of my online social network. I dont twit or facespace, no cable, no home internet or computer. Im doing this on a prepaid cell that I pay cash for. Not delusional and thinking Im "off the grid," they can still find me for sure. I just refuse to pay tons of money for services that are readily available. But at 28 years old Im way behind my generation with technology. Hell, I even hate doing my EMS reports on the computer, paper is so much more streamlined for patient care.

[bigwakes]

I would rather switch governments.

[Guest RedLights&Sirens]

I would rather switch governments.

Sooo true. To bad the most logical option is probably the farthest from possible. We'll see in '14 and '16 I guess.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Privacy is a myth...the only thing that makes proxy services, etc. "private" is if the government doesn't care enough to want the information.

Everything you put online, look at, search for, post, your geographic position, every phone number you call or calls you...absolutely everything must be assumed to not be private. Who the provider of the service is makes no difference.

 

You can avoid some of it but really and make other pieces of info more difficult to obtain but unless you are going to live in a cave, are absolutely 100% self sufficient and communicate only using smoke signals it's pretty impossible to actually avoid the information/tech-age we live in.

 

I realize it is fruitless and also there is nothing I do that is "secret" except there are a few people on the planet in a position to profit from some of my source code and there's no sense doing those handful of anonymous strangers any favors. :)

 

Even if there is nothing I do online that is illegal or "secret", it is just the principle of the thing. What I do ain't none of google, bing, or the gubmint's business. Ain't gonna make it easy. You CAN block quite a bit of parasitic tracking by killing cookies, blocking scripts, and avoiding bad actors such as google as much as possible. Ain't none of their biz and I don't want em looking over my shoulder.

Edited June 6, 2013 by Lester Weevils